USS Hocking (APA-121)
USS Hocking (APA-121) at anchor, c. 1945
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| History | |
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 United States
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| Name: | USS Hocking |
| Owner: | US Navy |
| Operator: | US Navy |
| Builder: | California Shipbuilding Corporation |
| Laid down: | June 7, 1944 |
| Launched: | July 25, 1944 |
| Completed: | August 31, 19 |
| Commissioned: | Oct. 22, 1944 |
| Decommissioned: | May 10, 1946 |
| Honors and awards: |
2 Battle stars |
| Fate: | Scrapped 1974 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 6,873 tons |
| Length: | 455 ft (139 m) |
| Beam: | 62 ft (19 m) |
| Draft: | 24 ft (7.3 m) |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: | 17 knots |
| Boats & landing craft carried: |
26 |
| Complement: | 56 Officers, 480 Enlisted |
| Armament: | |
USS Hocking (APA-121) was a Haskell-class attack transport of the United States Navy. She was built and used during World War II. She was of the VC2-S-AP5 Victory ship design type. Hocking was named for Hocking County, Ohio.
Hocking was launched under Maritime Commission contract by California Shipbuilding Corporation, Wilmington, California, 6 August 1944; sponsored by Miss Frances Sims; acquired by the Navy on a loan-charter basis and commissioned 22 October 1944, Commander C. D. Shutz in command, a former member of the German merchant marine with limited English skills.
The new transport conducted shakedown and training exercises off California, departing for Pearl Harbor 4 December to join U.S. forces in the giant amphibious sweep across the Pacific. After her arrival at Pearl Harbor 10 December, Hocking embarked Marines and took part in amphibious exercises and rehearsal preparatory to the Iwo Jima invasion, destined to be one of the most important and hard-fought of the war. She joined the vast armada of transports 27 January 1945 en route to Eniwetok and after a stopover at that island base arrived Iwo Jima 19 February. There Hocking debarked her troops and unloaded equipment in the early waves of the assault. She then anchored offshore, received casualties, and departed 27 February for Saipan, where she arrived 2 March.
With the Iwo Jima campaign underway, thoughts were turned to the next major objective, Okinawa. Hocking sailed to Espiritu Santo 15 March, embarked fresh amphibious assault forces, and sailed to Okinawa by way of Ulithi. The ship arrived off Okinawa during the difficult first weeks of the fighting, 9 April. She debarked her replacement troops and their cargo, and again received battle casualties for transportation out of the forward area. Hocking departed 14 April for Saipan and Ulithi, and arrived Marianas 7 May to load troops at Tinian. These were transported to Okinawa and landed 27 May, after which the transport again carried casualties from the battle-torn island. She arrived Pearl Harbor via Saipan and Eniwetok 26 June and sailed on to San Francisco, arriving 3 July.
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